Home Sweet Garden

The annual Minneapolis Home + Garden Show is back–bigger and bolder than ever before.

Minneapolis in March, April, sometimes even May is quite a sight. While people around the country are enjoying the fresh spring weather, Minneapolis residents are trudging through bottomless piles of gray slushy “snow” and ice. Thanks to the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show, Midwesterners can experience the joys of spring, too, even if it is indoors.

The 2018 Minneapolis Home + Garden show will feature a wide plethora of exhibits and booths, ranging from gardening and HVAC to crafts and home design.Photo courtesy of Marketplace Events

Every year, the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show sets up at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where designers showcase their home goods, interior designs, and garden displays. According to Jason Oliver Nixon of Madcap Cottage, this year’s event will have a heavy focus on maximalism.

“Maximalism is having a big moment. (I’m) seeing big and bold pattern stories on the fashion runways at Gucci, in new hotels, and in shelter publications (take a look at the pattern-packed cover of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens, once a bastion of all things beige),” he says. “Minimalism has had a nice run, but folks have grown tired of looking like a catalogue. Patterns and prints are making a splash across the board, so get ready.”

Nixon has been noticing that green and yellow are two hues that are making a big splash in home and garden design lately. In fact, some folks are using vibrant colors and patterns to bring the garden into their homes.

Gardening-specific exhibitors at the 2018 show will include local vendors like Greenscape Companies and Organic Lawns by Lunseth. Photo courtesy of Marketplace Events

“Florals are coming back, and chintz is having a resurgence. Folks want to celebrate unique chic and not look cookie cutter. It’s all about bringing a storyline to life,” he says.

With over 1,000 experts ready to share designs and tips with homeowners, the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show will surely have the latest home and garden trends. This year, the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show is looking to interact more with visitors. The main stage, sponsored by ProSource Wholesale and Kelli Kaufer Designs, will allow attendees to watch cooking demonstrations and DIY presentations.

Also, a number of presentations will be dedicated to helping visitors make the most of their time at the show. These presentations include budget saving tips, recipes from local chefs and media personalities, gardening advice, local speakers, and national celebrities. In addition to the main stage, there will be a kitchen stage, which is sponsored by Cambria, Country Cabinets, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Kohler Co., and Sears Outlet.

Paige Davis, host of Trading Spaces, will be one of the featured celebrities at the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show. Photo courtesy of Marketplace Events

Several celebrities will be making appearances at the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show this year. On March 30 and 31, Paige Davis of TLC’s Trading Spaces and Sara Bendrick of DIY Network’s I Hate My Yard will be taking the stage. Jason Cameron of DIY Network’s Man Caves, Sledgehammer, and Desperate Landscapes will be making an appearance April 6-8. Also, local Blue Ribbon baker Marjorie Johnson will be at the show April 1 and 7.

The combination of national celebrities and local favorites will allow styles and trends from other areas of the country to meet classic looks that are native to Minnesota. Staff of Minneapolis Home + Garden Show are hopeful that this will attract first-time homeowners.

This year’s Upcycle Challenge and Designer Rooms are some suggested shows for first-time homeowners to check out at the show. According to show manager Renee Brown, the Upcycle Challenge is a feature where local designers and partners turn old furniture into something new and beautiful “with a little paint and their imaginations.” Although last year’s Upcycle Challenge focused solely on chairs, this year’s challenge will include shelves, nightstands, bar carts, and more. The Designer Rooms are also helpful because they offer three unique spaces that inspire first-time homeowners looking to design their bathrooms, living rooms, and outdoor living spaces.

Minneapolis Home + Garden Show attendees will be treated to lectures and presentations by an array of local and national design experts. Photo courtesy of Marketplace Events

In addition to the Upcycle Challenge, there are other special plans for this year’s show.

“We have new celebrities that will be on the main stage, which is sponsored by Slumberland Furniture, including Karl Champley from Ellen’s Design Challenge and Madcap Cottage,” Brown says. “We’ve also added an escalator as an entrance/exit to the field for better access to the area. The Designer Rooms are a brand new feature this year along with Pool Renovations.”

Tickets for the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show are $12 online and $14 at the door, $4 for children ages six to 12, and children five and under are free. There will also be a special on Friday, April 6 for Public Servant Day and Hero Day. This will allow free admission for all current government workers with valid government/employee ID, as well as all active and retired military personnel, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, medical professionals, and teachers with valid ID. Metro Transit will also provide free bus services and METRO lines to the show on both Saturdays. Free transit passes for these days can be downloaded at www.homeandgardenshow.com.

Unfortunately, a Minnesota spring looks more like winter than it does spring, but we can daydream about the warm days ahead at the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show. From local and national celebrities to beautiful designs and decor, the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show will transport you from the dreary days of Minnesota’s everlasting winter to the magical place that other states call spring.